Sandra Bullock & other actors who play the same characters

A native of the storied coastal city of Charleston, South Carolina, Julie Sprankles has been a lover of words her entire life. As a Southerner, she certainly has what her mama calls “the gift of gab.” When she’s not writing, Julie can be...

Typecasting, anyone?

Do you ever get a sense of déjà vu while watching movies? Don’t worry — you aren’t going crazy. The following actors keep hitting the repeat button on roles!

Sandra Bullock

The role: Strong, independent woman — frequently in law enforcement — who learns to let her guard down through love and/or enduring friendshipRefer to: The Heat, The Proposal, Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks Notice, Murder By Numbers, 28 Days, Practical Magic, Speed, While You Were Sleeping, Demolition Man

Either Sandra Bullock gets a real power trip from strapping on a handgun holster, or there is something about playing FBI agents and other rough-around-the-edges women that she identifies with. But we’re not complaining — the moments when her character lets her guard down (the Betty White forest scene in The Proposal, for example) are bust-a-gut funny.

Ashley Judd

Hell hath no fury like Ashley Judd scorned. The circumstances under which she becomes a victim vary — whether she gets drugged and duped, kidnapped or elaborately deceived — but Ashley is obsessed with playing a woman who flips the script on misfortunate and makes her assailant(s) her b****.

Kristen Stewart

The role: Beautiful outsider who, despite her blank stare, captivates every hot guy in a 50-mile radiusRefer to: Twilight, Snow White and the Huntsman, On the Road, The Runaways, Adventureland, The Messengers

While watching Twilight, we kept waiting for Chris Hemsworth to come rip Bella from harm’s way or for Bella to follow a creepy undead kid into an old barn. Oh, wait… those were scenes from other movies in which she plays pale, troubled waifs. Come to think of it, that’s pretty much the role she plays in real life, too.

Zooey Deschanel

The role: Quirky hipster type who rocks eclectic clothes and an endearingly offbeat attitudeRefer to: 500 Days of Summer, New Girl, Failure to Launch, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Elf

They say the term “adorkable” was coined in reference to Zooey Deschanel, and it’s no big mystery why when you peek at her movie role resume. She always — even, it seems, in that jingly cotton commercial — plays that girl. You know, the accidentally cool one that marches to the beat of her own drum and makes everyone else want to go out and buy the same wonky drum set.

Michael Cera

Not since nerdy Lewis bagged head cheerleader Betty in Revenge of the Nerds have geeky guys had a hero who gave them hope they’d one day get laid… until Michael Cera. Even sporting bright yellow “sausage sword” short shorts in Juno, the fumbling, socially inept character he repeatedly plays manages to get some action.

Hugh Grant

The role: Charismatic English cad who, despite his superficial and/or selfish ways, proves impossible to resist — particularly after facing a potential loss that forces him to grow a grown-up pair, if you know what we meanRefer to: Music and Lyrics, Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually, Two Weeks Notice, About a Boy, Notting Hill, Nine Months, Four Weddings and a Funeral

If you look at the body of Hugh Grant’s work — Bridget Jones’s Diary, Two Weeks Notice, About a Boy, Nine Months, etc. — a clear pattern emerges. You spend half of the time spent watching Hugh’s movies wanting to punch him in his wiener and the other half wanting to make out with him.

Vince Vaughn

The role: A hulking, hen-pecked lug who — save the occasional temper tantrum or wild night with the boys — turns out to be a big softieRefer to: The Dilemma, Couples Retreat, Four Christmases, Fred Claus, The Break-Up, Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Old School

You know what they say… the bigger they are the harder they fall. Well, Vince Vaughn is one big ol’ dude, so it’s no wonder he gravitates toward characters who evolve from clueless buffoon to sentimental softie seemingly overnight.

We get it, we get it… you’re a touch chick! We seriously can’t recall any character Michelle Rodriguez has played that doesn’t make us think she could totally kick our a**es. She’s constantly typecast as the tomboy who has no problem keeping pace — and sometimes out pacing — the boys. But hey, even ballsy sistahs need a good rom-com role from time to time!